Following a “thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it has determined that listing the Northern California-Southern Oregon distinct population segment of fisher under the Endangered Species Act is not warranted.
Fishers are relatives of mink, otters and wolverines, and live in old-growth forests.
West Coast Fishers once roamed forests from British Columbia to Southern California but now their U.S. range is limited to two native populations in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, plus another in Northern California and southwestern Oregon. There are also small, reintroduced populations in the central Sierra Nevada, in the southern Oregon Cascades, and in the Olympic Peninsula, Mt. Rainier and the North Cascades in Washington state. The Northern California-Southwestern Oregon population — centered in the biodiverse Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains region — is the largest remaining one but is severely threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation caused by logging, high-severity fire and post-fire salvage logging.
–See CBB, June 16, 2023, Under Legal Agreement, USFWS To Reconsider Whether To List West Coast Fisher, Rare Forest Carnivore, Under ESA https://columbiabasinbulletin.org/under-legal-agreement-usfws-to-reconsider-whether-to-list-west-coast-fisher-rare-forest-carnivore-under-esa/
Although fishers face threats including wildfire and toxicants, the Service found that the Northern California–Southern Oregon is not currently in danger of extinction or likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. This assessment considered population trends, distribution, connectivity and habitat conditions across the DPS.
“The Service’s decision reflects a rigorous science-based assessment of the species and the power of collaborative stewardship,” said the Service’s Oregon State Supervisor Kessina Lee. “While threats to fisher remain, coordinated efforts across public and private lands are helping to sustain and support this population.”
Fishers are managed as a sensitive species across many federal lands, which are roughly half of this population’s range. Additionally, several tribal governments recognize the cultural importance of fishers and have incorporated fisher-specific considerations into forest management practices. These practices support the restoration of old-forest structures such as retaining cavities in large trees and preserving woody debris — while enhancing overall habitat and forest health.
Long-term voluntary conservation planning has occurred with state and private partners, resulting in candidate conservation agreements with assurances covering more than 3.4 million acres and habitat conservation plans spanning over 575,000 acres. These partnerships with the timber industry and other land managers include a wide range of measures that actively contribute to the protection and recovery of fishers in the region.
The Service says it “remains committed to collaborating with state and federal agencies tribes and industry partners to support the long-term conservation and resilience of fishers, while also promoting sustainable, productive working lands.”
A notice of this finding and relevant documents is available in the Federal Register at www.federalregister.gov or www.regulations.gov by searching docket number FWS–R1–ES–2023–0123.
For more information on fisher, please visit: https://www.fws.gov/species/fisher-pekania-pennanti.